Principal photography took place in the spring of 2024, primarily in the Paris region and in Normandy, with shoots in the towns of La Vespière-Friardel (Calvados), Mesnils-sur-Iton (Eure) and Étretat (Seine-Maritime). Claude Monet's house and gardens in Giverny (Eure) were used for one sequence.
The film is set both in the present (early 21st century) and in the past (late 19th century). For the historical sequences the filmmakers used anamorphic lenses to evoke the look of the earliest colour photographs — the Lumière Autochromes — with visible grain, softer contrasts and natural light; for the contemporary scenes they employed spherical lenses, which give sharper contrast and a cleaner image. This visual treatment deliberately differentiates the two eras and helps viewers move between them. In several framings they even referenced paintings by Monet and Degas — the opening shot, for example, resembles Monet’s depiction of the Saint-Lazare station.
The film was criticised on release for its unexpected reliance on so‑called "nepo babies":
- Adèle is portrayed by Suzanne Lindon (daughter of actors Sandrine Kiberlain and Vincent Lindon),
- Seb is played by Abraham Wapler (son of actors Valérie Benguigui and Eric Wapler),
- Anatole is played by Paul Kircher (son of actors Irène Jacob and Jérôme Kircher),
- Lucien is played by Vassili Schneider (the younger brother of actor Niels Schneider),
- Odette is played by Sara Giraudeau (daughter of actors Bernard Giraudeau and Anny Duperey),
- Céline is played by Julia Piaton (daughter of actors Charlotte de Turckheim and Jean-Marc Piaton),
- Rose is played by Raïka Hazanavicius (daughter of actors Julie Mauduech and Serge Hazanavicius and niece of director Michel Hazanavicius).
Director Cédric Klapisch responded to the furore by saying he had not intended it; it had happened organically, he only realised the coincidence at the end of casting, weighed up his options and chose to proceed with the cast as it was and own that decision.
Director Cédric Klapisch is not accustomed to period dramas — most of his films are set in contemporary environments — but he has long been fascinated by 19th-century Paris, which also provided the setting for one of his early short films, Ce qui me meut (1989). For that film he had to manage around 80 extras in period costumes, along with period sets and props, omnibuses, horses and coaches, which made the shoot considerably more time-consuming, choreographed and complex than his usual productions.
The French original title is "La venue de l'avenir", which translates into English as "The coming of the future". In addition to the alliteration between "la venue" and "l'avenir", the title is used in the film as a play on words: "L'avenue de l'avenir", meaning "The avenue of the future".
